15 Spring Break Activities for Young Kids

A couple of weeks ago my Facebook feed filled with status updates about spring break for many of my friends to the east of me. Since then I had some time to get ready for my full days with my girls. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with them and I can’t wait for Spring break to get some good bonding time in. My preparation is for their sake as I don’t want them to be ‘bored’ around the house.

I came up with a list of activities in case of rain, or shine, and added a few away from the house so we can get out without battling the masses because we aren’t the only ones off next week. All of Alberta will be joining us.

I know that there are many more activities and places to go to, but since highly crowded areas make me twitch, I stuck to the ones that were low cost and most likely to be a little more quiet.

Activities Away from Home

Library: Even if you don’t pick anything up, it is always nice to get out of the house. Read some books, and hang out for a bit.

Museums: These are always a little more quiet than other kid-friendly options.

Mall Walk: Take your kids to the mall to look around. Go an hour before it opens to walk when it’s quiet and let your kids wander. By the time you are ready to leave, it will just start filling up.

The Zoo: It may sound crazy, but if temperatures get around +5 to +10, the zoo is a great option. Bundle up and head out. Not all zoo sights are outside and since it is an outdoor activity, it might not be as busy as other options if the weather is cooler.

Garden Centre: This one isn’t for everyone, but we grow our own garden. My girls are excited to get out and see what they can plant this year so we will be heading out to a garden centre to look around for some vegetable seeds and other things we can plant around the yard. It is also time to start your garden seeds in doors.

Activities for Sun (or decent weather)

Nature walk: We go on walking adventures in our neighbourhood and our girls take along bags to find ‘treasures’. Often a flat rock by the side of the road, a twig, or a maple seed (they spin like a helicopter when dropped) is found and collected. We get everything home and chat about what we found and use some in crafts (see below).

Play Date: Remember, your kids aren’t the only ones off school for the week. Parents all over are struggling to come up with a week’s worth of activities for their little ones. You have this week to arrange a play date or three with different friends. Invite the parents over to get to know them better, or take the kids so they can run some errands.

Clean up outside: Some times, kids just love to run and explore. If you haven’t taken down your outdoor holiday decorations yet, or if you have some yard work you can do, get them outside to play while you finish up a project.

Outside play: Do your kids have play tables that have been put away over the winter. If your weather is looking up, pull out their toys, chalk, balls and let them have some fun. They haven’t seen these toys in about 6 months. This will keep them busy for awhile.

Science Experiments: There are a number of fun things you can do in the yard to pass time. A quick search on Google or Pinterest using ‘kids science experiments’ will give you a wide range of ideas to engage your kids and pass the time while having fun. We grabbed a Scholastic book on sale that has a list of 25 experiments and we will be heading out to try some on the first nice day.

Activities for Rain (or Snow)

Crafts: If you had a nice day to collect some nature treasures, you can spend some time decorating with them. Paint rocks to keep as pets or decoration, put paint on different treasures and stamp them on paper. Use stickers, markers, paint, crayons, and make Easter cards for friends and family

Game Day: Now that our youngest is almost three, we have a lot of fun playing board games together. Let everyone choose a game and have some fun.

Baking: Easter is coming up and now is a great time to get your baking done with eager helpers. Looking for inspiration? I have a great Easter cookie recipe you can try out that my girls had fun making. We will be baking and decorating sugar cookies next week for the holidays as well.

This just out: Frozen has just been released on a Blu-ray/DVD combo and is available just in time for Spring Break. This movie is sure to guarantee you some time for yourself when you need a break to have a cup of coffee. Put it on, sit back and listen to your little angels belt out ‘Let it Go’.

Stay in with movies on demand:Netflix has a huge list of new and top movies out right now including some of our favourites like The Croods, Rise of the Guardians, Despicable Me, Turbo, Dora the Explorer and Madagascar 3. Pop that corn, cuddle up and have some fun on the couch when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

What do you have planned for Spring Break?

Disclosure: I am a part of the Netflix #StreamTeam and I receive some items and incentives as part of my affiliation with them. The tips and opinions are my own.

Sheri publishes, and writes at This Bird’s Day where she shares all of the thoughts in her head without the voices. Sticking mainly with content for Canadians, Sheri shares family stories, product information and anything that fits into her (and her family’s) daily activities.